Neighborhood Environments and Cognitive Decline in Middle and Old Age in China: Gender and Age Variations

Abstract Older adults are more vulnerable to neighborhood physical and social conditions due to longer exposure, increased vulnerability, changing spatial use, and a greater reliance on access to community sources of integration. Previous research has demonstrated an association between neighborhood environments and cognitive function in older adults. However, most studies were cross-sectional, focused on western countries, and did not examine potential moderating factors. This study examined gender and age variations in the relationship between neighborhood environments and cognitive decline in middle and old age in a developing country that is experiencing rapid population aging and rising prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. Using data from a nationally representative sample of adults aged 45 years and older from the three waves of China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS 2011-2015), this study estimated multilevel growth curve models for the effects of neighborhood environments on cognitive decline separately for men and women and for those aged 45 to 64 and those aged 65 and above. It showed that the cross-sectional effect of outdoor facility and longitudinal effect of handicapped access were more significant for men, but the cross-sectional effect of community social participation and longitudinal effects of raining days, number of disasters, employment service, and community SES were more significant for women. The cross-sectional effect of infrastructure advantages and longitudinal effects of employment service and old age income support were more significant for adults aged 65 and over. These findings suggest that community-level interventions may be more beneficial for older women.

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Likelihood of Participation in Home-Based Cognitive Assessment: The Role of Subjective Cognitive Decline and Age

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igaa057.940 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 293-294

Author(s):

Moriah Splonskowski ◽

Holly Cooke ◽

Claudia Jacova

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Cognitive Decline ◽

Old Age ◽

Cognitive Assessment ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Subjective Cognitive Decline ◽

Cognitive State ◽

Home Based ◽

Increased Risk

Abstract Home-based cognitive assessment (HBCA) services are emerging as a convenient alternative to in-clinic cognitive assessment and may aid in mitigating barriers to detecting cognitive impairment (CI). It is unknown which older adults would be likely to participate in HBCA. Here we investigated the role of age and Subjective Cognitive Decline (SCD). SCD has demonstrated an increased risk for progression to CI/dementia. A nation-wide community-dwelling sample of 494 adults age 50+ were recruited via Amazon Mechanical Turk to complete an online survey assessing perceptions around HBCA and SCD. Our sample was 91.9% White and 66.8% female. It consisted of 174 respondents aged 50-60, 265 aged 61- 70, and 55 aged 71-79. Age groups were comparable with respect to their acceptance of cognitive assessment (Range 4-20, higher score=higher acceptance, 7.9±3.3, 8.15±3.2, 8.05±3.43) and SCD-Q total (43.1±5.8, 43.2±5.7, 43.3±5.7). Correlation analysis revealed a relationship between SCD-QSCD total and perceived likelihood of participation in HBCA for those ages 61-70 (r(263) = .222 p = .000), but not for ages 50-60 or 71-79 (r(172) = .102 p = .152; r(53) = -.102 p = .458). Our findings suggest that SCD influences the likelihood of participation in HBCA for older adults’ transitioning to old age (61-70). Findings show that for adults transitioning into old age (61-70), perceived cognitive state influences their likelihood of participation in HBCA. Importantly, concerns about CI/dementia may generate more favorable perceptions of HBCA for this group.

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A Cross-Sectional Study of Blood Ethylmercury Levels and Cognitive Decline Among Older Adults and the Elderly in the United States

Journal of Alzheimer s Disease ◽

10.3233/jad-190894 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 72 (3) ◽

pp. 901-910

Author(s):

David A. Geier ◽

Janet K. Kern ◽

Kristin G. Homme ◽

Mark R. Geier

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Older Adults ◽

Cognitive Decline ◽

The Elderly ◽

The United States ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional

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Dietary Patterns and Foods Associated With Cognitive Function in Taiwanese Older Adults: The Cross-sectional and Longitudinal Studies

Journal of the American Medical Directors Association ◽

10.1016/j.jamda.2018.10.017 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 20 (5) ◽

pp. 544-550.e4 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Shao-Yuan Chuang ◽

Yen-Li Lo ◽

Szu-Yun Wu ◽

Pei-Ning Wang ◽

Wen-Harn Pan

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Cognitive Function ◽

Longitudinal Studies ◽

Dietary Patterns ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

The Cross

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Comorbid Risk And Correlates Of Pneumococcal Vaccination Among Latent Classes Of Older Adults In The Cross-Sectional National Health And Wellness Survey In Brazil

Value in Health ◽

10.1016/j.jval.2013.03.455 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 16 (3) ◽

pp. A97

Author(s):

A. Goren ◽

C.S. Roberts ◽

T. Victor

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

National Health ◽

Pneumococcal Vaccination ◽

Latent Classes ◽

Health And Wellness ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

The Cross

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Oxidative stress, telomere length, and frailty in an old age population

10.1101/414680 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

José Darío Martínez-Ezquerro ◽

Aleida Rodriguez-Castañeda ◽

Mauricio Ortiz-Ramirez ◽

Sergio Sanchez-Garcia ◽

Haydee Rosas-Vargas ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Oxidative Stress ◽

Older Adults ◽

Telomere Length ◽

Old Age ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Frailty Phenotype ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Adverse Health Outcomes ◽

Biomarkers Of Aging ◽

Dichlorofluorescin Diacetate

AbstractBackgroundA global aging population requires focusing on the risk factors for unhealthy aging, preventive medicine, and chronic disease management. The identification of adverse health outcomes in older adults has been addressed by the characterization of frailty as a biological syndrome. On the other hand, oxidative stress and telomere length have been suggested as biomarkers of aging.ObjectiveTo study the association of oxidative stress, telomere length, and frailty in an old age population.MethodsThis was a cross-sectional study based on 2015 data from 202 members from a cohort of older adults (n=202; gender F/M ratio: 133/69; mean age: 69.89 ± 7.39 years). Reactive oxygen species (ROS) were measured by dichlorofluorescin diacetate, and lipid peroxidation by malondialdehyde. Telomere length was determined using qPCR with SYBR Green Master Mix.ResultsStatistical analysis showed an association between telomere length and frailty but no association between oxidative stress on telomere length or frailty.ConclusionsTelomere length could eventually be used as a marker to discriminate between healthy and unhealthy aging as expressed by frailty phenotype. However, oxidative stress seems as just a biological process of aging.

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Comparison of TSH Levels From Several Types Of Blood Collection Device and Description of TSH Levels Based on Gender and Age

INDONESIAN JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PATHOLOGY AND MEDICAL LABORATORY ◽

10.24293/ijcpml.v26i2.1475 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 26 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Gunawan Eka Putra ◽

Ninik Sukartini ◽

Suzanna Immanuel ◽

Fify Henrika ◽

Nuri Dyah Indrasari

Keyword(s):

Old Age ◽

Turnaround Time ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Thyroid Stimulating Hormone ◽

World Health ◽

Blood Collection ◽

Age Group ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Gender And Age ◽

Tsh Levels

Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) is an important parameter in diagnosing thyroid disease, using serum according to World Health Organization’s (WHO) recommendations. The use of plasma can help improving turnaround time (TAT) but the discrepancy with serum is unknown. A cross-sectional study using 89 blood samples was done to compare TSH levels using serum tubes with clot activator (Tube I), plasma tubes with heparin (Tube II), and plasma tubes with heparin-gel separator (Tube III); and to show an overview of TSH levels according to gender and age. The median TSH levels in tubes I, II, and III were 1.380 (0.032-7.420) µIU/mL, 1.380 (0.030-7.480) µIU/mL, and 1.360 (0.030-7.460) µIU/mL respectively. There were no statistically significant differences in TSH levels of the three tubes. The median TSH levels differences of tubes II and III compared to tube I were -0.9% (-7.2 - 2.2) and -1.7% (-8.0 - 1.6) respectively. Biases of the measurement results obtained were in accordance with the spesicified desirable bias according to Ricos. The median TSH levels of the male and female groups was 1.500 (0.032-4.250) µIU/mL and 1.345 (0.058-7.420) µIU/mL respectively. Median TSH levels of 31-40 years old age group and >61 years old age group were 1.190 (0.609-3.240) µIU/mL and 1.730 (0.088-5.760) µIU/mL respectively. Specimens from three tubes could be used to examine TSH levels. Measurement of TSH levels showed higher median in the male and older group.

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Repetitive Negative Thinking is associated with Subjective Cognitive Decline in older adults: a cross-sectional study

10.21203/rs.3.rs-20672/v2 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Marco Schlosser ◽

Harriet Demnitz-King ◽

Tim Whitfield ◽

Miranka Wirth ◽

Natalie L. Marchant

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Cognitive Function ◽

Cognitive Decline ◽

Subjective Cognitive Decline ◽

Repetitive Negative Thinking ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Negative Thinking ◽

Memory Complaints ◽

Dementia Risk ◽

Perceived Cognitive Function

Abstract Background: In the absence of a cure or effective treatment for dementia, attention has shifted towards identifying risk factors for prevention. Subjective Cognitive Decline (SCD) describes self-perceived worsening of cognition despite unimpaired performance on neuropsychological tests. SCD has been associated with an increased dementia risk and steeper memory decline. Repetitive negative thinking (RNT) is a transdiagnostic process that manifests across several mental health disorders associated with increased vulnerability to dementia. RNT has thus been proposed as a candidate marker of risk for dementia and, relatedly, could contribute to the manifestation of SCD. We aimed to investigate the relationship between SCD and RNT alongside other proposed psychological risk/protective factors for dementia and cognitive decline. Methods: In a cross-sectional online survey, 491 older adults (mean=64.9 years, SD=4.2; 63.1% female) completed measures of RNT, personality traits, purpose in life, worry, rumination, and meditation practice. SCD was assessed continuously via self-perceived cognitive function (Neuro-QoL) and categorically via endorsement (yes/no) of memory complaints. Regression models, using a stepwise backwards elimination, were built to assess associations between SCD, demographics, and all risk/protective factors.Results: A total of 24.2% of participants reported memory complaints. In the final prediction models, RNT was the only psychological variable associated with lower self-perceived cognitive function and with a higher likelihood of memory complaints. Conclusions: This study empirically corroborates the theoretical relationship between SCD and RNT. Longitudinal studies are needed to establish whether RNT is a prodromal symptom or an independent risk factor, and whether RNT can be a promising construct for future research on SCD and dementia risk.

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Positive Psychosocial Factors and Cognitive Decline in Ethnically Diverse Older Adults

Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society ◽

10.1017/s1355617720000648 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-10

Author(s):

Laura B. Zahodne ◽

Neika Sharifian ◽

Ann Zarina Kraal ◽

Ketlyne Sol ◽

Afsara B. Zaheed ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Longitudinal Study ◽

Episodic Memory ◽

Cognitive Decline ◽

Ethnic Groups ◽

Psychosocial Factors ◽

Disease Risk ◽

Late Life ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Standard Deviation Increase

Abstract Objectives: Previous cross-sectional studies have documented associations between positive psychosocial factors, such as self-efficacy and emotional support, and late-life cognition. Further, the magnitudes of concurrent associations may differ across racial and ethnic groups that differ in Alzheimer’s disease risk. The goals of this longitudinal study were to characterize prospective associations between positive psychosocial factors and cognitive decline and explicitly test for differential impact across race and ethnicity. Methods: 578 older adults (42% non-Hispanic Black, 31% non-Hispanic White, and 28% Hispanic) in the Washington Heights-Inwood Columbia Aging Project completed cognitive and psychosocial measures from the NIH Toolbox and standard neuropsychological tests over 2.4 years. Latent difference scores were used to model associations between positive psychosocial factors and cognitive decline controlling for baseline cognition, sociodemographics, depressive symptoms, physical health, and other positive psychosocial factors. Multiple-group modeling was used to test interactions between the positive psychosocial factors and race/ethnicity. Results: Higher NIH Toolbox Friendship scores predicted less episodic memory decline. One standard deviation increase in friendship corresponded to 6 fewer years of memory aging. This association did not significantly differ across racial/ethnic groups. Conclusions: This longitudinal study provides support for the potential importance of friendships for subsequent episodic memory trajectories among older adults from three ethnic groups. Further study into culturally informed interventions is needed to investigate whether and how friend networks may be targeted to promote cognitive health in late life.

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Repetitive negative thinking is associated with subjective cognitive decline in older adults: a cross-sectional study

BMC Psychiatry ◽

10.1186/s12888-020-02884-7 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 20 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Marco Schlosser ◽

Harriet Demnitz-King ◽

Tim Whitfield ◽

Miranka Wirth ◽

Natalie L. Marchant

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Cognitive Function ◽

Cognitive Decline ◽

Subjective Cognitive Decline ◽

Repetitive Negative Thinking ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Negative Thinking ◽

Memory Complaints ◽

Dementia Risk ◽

Perceived Cognitive Function

Abstract Background In the absence of a cure or effective treatment for dementia, attention has shifted towards identifying risk factors for prevention. Subjective Cognitive Decline (SCD) describes self-perceived worsening of cognition despite unimpaired performance on neuropsychological tests. SCD has been associated with an increased dementia risk and steeper memory decline. Repetitive negative thinking (RNT) is a transdiagnostic process that manifests across several mental health disorders associated with increased vulnerability to dementia. RNT has thus been proposed as a candidate marker of risk for dementia and, relatedly, could contribute to the manifestation of SCD. We aimed to investigate the relationship between SCD and RNT alongside other proposed psychological risk/protective factors for dementia and cognitive decline. Methods In a cross-sectional online survey, 491 older adults (mean = 64.9 years, SD = 4.2; 63.1% female) completed measures of RNT, personality traits, purpose in life, worry, rumination, and meditation practice. SCD was assessed continuously via self-perceived cognitive function (Neuro-QoL) and categorically via endorsement (yes/no) of memory complaints. Regression models, using a stepwise backwards elimination, were built to assess associations between SCD, demographics, and all risk/protective factors. Results A total of 24.2% of participants reported memory complaints. In the final prediction models, RNT was the only psychological variable associated with lower self-perceived cognitive function and with a higher likelihood of memory complaints. Conclusions This study empirically corroborates the theoretical relationship between SCD and RNT. Longitudinal studies are needed to establish whether RNT is a prodromal symptom or an independent risk factor, and whether RNT can be a promising construct for future research on SCD and dementia risk.

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